The ongoing saga of my KTM 690 Enduro R from prior to purchase to living with it.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

The electric KTM - test riding the KTM Freeride E

2014 KTM Freeride E

I had a chance to test ride the KTM Freeride E. I've been a sceptic about E-bikes and continue to be until someone comes up with a bike that is better in real lifeuse than a traditional ICE bike. Meaning that it has at least comparable power, range, refill time and weight. That said, the Freeride E is a truly amazing machine.

I test rode the 2014 KTM 250 EXC-F only few days earlier on an enduro track. The 250 was superbly nimble and agile compared to the 690, but the Freeride E was on class of it's own. The fact that you don't have to worry about the clutch, changing gears, accidentally killing the engine etc. gives you a whole new level of enjoyment when riding off road. I'm beginning to understand why a an e-bike is claimed to be so much fun on the track too. It leaves out all the unnecessary distractions and you are left with the essentials. The Freeride E had both the rear and front brakes mounted on the handle bars and while that was hard to get used to on a short test ride, but I have no doubt that this setup is far superior to traditional foot brakes.

The bike had no speedo, so it's hard to say what the max speed is. The dealer suspected it to be around 90 km/h, but it didn't feel like it got up to that speed. What ever the top speed is, it's not enough for street use. The other problem is that you currently can not plate the Freeride E, which is a limiting factor when contemplating the possible uses for the bike. The E would not be out of place for commuting short distances, in fact I bet it would be awesome. The sales rep did mention that a "plated" version will be released soon.

The price of the E is also staggeringly high if you consider the limitations. 11 400 € (in Finland) which is pretty much exactly what a new 690 Enduro R costs. The Freeride E is like many (or all?) the other e-bikes out there, very very nice machines, but currently ICE bikes are much cheaper and much more versatile.

All in all, mixed feelings.

KEY SPECS (source KTM)

Max. power 22 kW (30 hp)

Charging time 1.5 h

Seat height (unloaded) 910 mm

Weight without fuel approx.95 kg

running time 30 min to 1 hour

Plenty of go

The bike looks really clean without all the usual ICE stuff like an exhaust